Oshkosh Modifies Joint Light Tactical Vehicle Following DoD Report

Oshkosh Defense has made changes to its joint light tactical vehicle for the U.S. Army after a 2018 Department of Defense report found that the platform was “not operationally suitable,” National Defense Magazine reported Tuesday.

Robert Behler, DoD’s director of operational test and evaluation, stated in the annual report that Oshkosh’s JLTV had “deficiencies in reliability, maintainability, training, manuals, crew situational awareness and safety.”

George Mansfield, vice president and general manager of joint programs at Oshkosh Defense, said during the Association of the United States Army’s meeting in Washington, D.C. that the firm incorporated larger windows, a muffler and a front-facing camera to address issues cited in the report. The company is “looking at a different alternator that's a little quieter” in an effort to reduce JLTV’s noise levels, he added.

In June, the Army certified Oshkosh’s JLTV to enter full-rate production as part of the service’s efforts to replace its high mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicles. The Trump administrations’ fiscal 2020 budget request earmarks $1.64B for 4,090 JLTVs.

Previously, Oshkosh partnered with L3Harris to develop a lightweight all-terrain vehicle with mobile command-and-control technologies.